Opteon™ XP40
Refrigerant

Raley’s Supermarkets Champions
the Transition to Non-Ozone
Depleting, Reduced Carbon
Footprint Refrigerants with
Opteon™ XP40 (R-449A)

Background
Raley’s Supermarkets is a family owned chain that

When Raley’s corporate engineering andtakes pride in its leadership and commitment toenergy groups considered the future ofenvironmental sustainability. In addition tocommercial refrigeration in light of new regulations

sustainability projects like reducing energy usage fromand their own sustainability goals, they consulted withlighting, the installation of solar panels, and generatingtechnical experts from long-time refrigerant producer

natural gas from store waste, Raley’s is also leading

Chemours (formerly DuPont Performance Chemicals)

the industry in its transition to non-ozone depleting,for the latest developments and low GWP options.

low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants.

Opteon™ XP40

Refrigerant

After the teams met, Raley’s quickly identified an initial test

Overview of Refrigeration System andConversion to Opteon™ XP40 (R-449A)

store in Santa Rosa, CA for conversion to the newest low
GWP refrigerant from Chemours, Opteon™ XP40 (R-449A).
XP40 is a hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) blend that has zeroozone depletion potential (ODP) and a >65% reduction in
GWP over the incumbent R-404A refrigerant. The team’s
project goals were to understand the retrofit details,
validate operational performance, and measure energy
performance of the new HFO refrigerant.

Opteon™ XP40 Refrigerant
Opteon™ XP40 is a nonflammable, low GWP refrigerant basedon new HFO technology that offers excellent performancealong with improved environmental and energy properties.

The refrigeration system in Raley’s Santa Rosa store
provides both low temperature (frozen food) and medium
temperature (produce, meat, dairy) refrigeration, as well as
air conditioning and hot water for the store. The system wasoriginally designed to operate using R-404A refrigerant.
The Santa Rosa conversion project was completed
overnight in October 2014 by PMC Mechanical Inc.,
following retrofit guidelines provided by Chemours.
Because the refrigeration system was already operating on
POE oil, no lubricant change was required. Additionally, nochange out of seals or gaskets was needed. After startup
on XP40, the only major work required was to check andOpteon™ XP40 Properties

adjust the superheat on the individual TXVs, due to the

ASHRAE Number

R-449A

lower mass flow rate of XP40 vs. R-404A. The existing

Lubricant

POEvalves were turned down to obtain the proper superheat

Boiling Point-46.0 °C (-50.7 °F)

and prevent liquid flood back. The system cases andSafety Classification

A1

walk-ins quickly pulled down to temperature and have

Temperature Glide~4 K (~7 °R)

operated reliably since the conversion.

Opteon™ XP40

Refrigerant

Operational and Energy Performance
The table below provides operational data measured at similar ambient conditions for the system prior to, as well as at 1 week and6 months, post-conversion to Opteon™ XP40. XP40 is shown to be operating as expected and consistently over this time frame.
Daily Average Value
Pre-Retrofit
October 2014
R-404A

1 Week Post-Retrofit
November 2014
XP40 (R-449A)

6 Months Post-Retrofit
April 2015
XP40 (R-449A)

Condensing Pressure, barg (psig)

11.389 (167.3)

11.300 (166)

11.368 (167)

Discharge Temperature, °C (°F)

60.2 (140.3)

72.1 (161.8)

74.4 (165.9)

Ambient Temperature, °C (°F)

19.7 (67.4)

17.6 (63.6)

16.7 (62)Medium Temperature Suction Pressure, barg (psig)

3.662 (53.8)

3.336 (49)3.322 (48.8)

Medium Temperature Suction Temperature, °C (°F)

12.2 (54)17.2 (62.9)

19.2 (66.5)

1.103 (16.2)

0.837 (12.3)

0.837 (12.3)

Low Temperature Suction Pressure, barg (psig)

Energy performance of the system has also been monitored
since the conversion. Below is a plot of daily energy usage(KWH) vs. average daily temperature for selected days in the16-20 °C (60-68 °F) range for R-404A as well as XP40.
Reduced energy usage on the order of 8-9% is observed.
Total Energy Usage for Days at 16-20 °C (60-68 °F)

Energy (KWH)

3000

R404A Energy

The refrigeration system for the entire store at the Raley’s
Supermarket in Santa Rosa, CA was successfully
converted from R-404A refrigerant to low GWP HFObased Opteon™ XP40 (R-449A). The system has now been
operating as expected for over one year with all parties
pleased with the results. Raley’s has plans to convert otherstores from R-404A to XP40 in the future; where other

XP40 Energy

than making adjustments to the system controller set
points and medium temperature TXVs, they plan on2500

changing low temperature TXVs to fully optimize efficiency.

2000“Year after year, we’ve been recognized nationally by the1500
1000
4.4 (40)

Conclusion

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) GreenChill program
as a sustainability innovator within the grocery industry,” said
10 (50)16 (60)21 (70)
Ambient Temperature, °C (°F)

27 (80)Randy Walthers, Raley’s Manager of Energy and Utilities, whocaptained the team that has improved energy efficiencies
throughout the company. “Raley’s is proud of our continued

After one year of operation, a sample of the refrigerant
and lubricant were collected from the system andsubmitted for analysis. Laboratory results for both thePOE oil and XP40 showed them to be clean and acid-free,with no indication of degradation.

focus on sustainability, and we have even more plans going
forward. It’s about doing what’s right,” Randy added.

Opteon™ XP40Refrigerant

For more information on the Opteon™ family of refrigerants, or other refrigerants products, visit opteon.com or call (800) 235-7882.
The information set forth herein is furnished free of charge and based on technical data that Chemours believes to be reliable. It is intended for use by persons having technical skill, attheir own risk. Because conditions of use are outside our control, Chemours makes no warranties, expressed or implied, and assumes no liability in connection with any use of thisinformation. Nothing herein is to be taken as a license to operate under, or a recommendation to infringe, any patents or patent applications.
© 2016 The Chemours Company FC, LLC. Opteon™ and any associated logos are trademarks or copyrights of The Chemours Company FC, LLC. Chemours™ and the Chemours Logo aretrademarks of The Chemours Company.
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